آفَةُ النَّجاحِِ اَلْكَسَلُ

Laziness is the blight of success.

There are few qualities which enable people to be successful in life, among them are: setting goals, putting a plan and timetable, persistence, patience, and being active. Yet, some people after reaching those goals, become lazy and surrender to comfort. This is what diminishes or even cancels their success.

Instead of that, the best attitude should be to stay active even after becoming successful. This redefines success in that it’s not only reaching goals, but also having and maintaining activity and momentum after reaching them. Success is an attitude, not an event. An example of that would be continuing eduction after graduation from college, or at least keeping the habit of reading.

In a passage from Dua’a Abu Hamza Thumali, Imam Al-Sajjad (a.s.) says: “O Allah, I seek Your protection against laziness, failure, grief, cowardice…”.

إِنَّمَا حَظُّ أَحَدِكُمْ مِنَ الْْأَرْضِ ذَاتِ الطُّولِ وَالْعَرْضِ قِيدُ قَدِّهِ مُتَعَفِّراً عَلى خَدِّهِ

Surely, your share of this earth with its great length and width, is merely the size of your body while your cheek is on the dust.

This quote appears in one of the Nahjul Balaghah sermons: sermon 82.

كُلَّمَا ارْتَفَعَتْ رُتْبَةُ اللَّئيمِ نَقَصَ النّاسُ عِنْدَهُ ، وَ الكَريمُ ضِدُّ ذلِكَ

When a dishonorable person’s rank increases in society, he cares less about its people. An honorable person would do the opposite.

Here are some passages from The Voice of Human Justice – Ruler is one of the people relevant to this quote:

He himself says: “I was worried and alarmed lest the foolish and wicked persons should become the rulers of this nation and make the property of God their plaything and the creatures of God their slaves and fight with the righteous and make the tyrants their helpers”.

While addressing the people at the time of taking the oath of allegiance from them, Ali said to them: “0 People! I am one of you. I enjoy the same rights which you enjoy. My responsibilities are also the same as yours. Nothing can invalidate truth. (i.e. a ruler or caliph cannot change the commands of God”.

Ali wrote to one of his governors as under: “Your holding this office does not entitle you to accumulate wealth or to take revenge from any person. Your only duty is that you should destroy falsehood and revive truth”.

إنَّ هذا الأمْرَ لَيْسَ بِكُمْ بَدَأَ، وَ لا إلَيْكُمُ انْتَهى ، وَ قَدْ كانَ صاحِبُكُمْ هذا يُسافِرُ، فَعُدُّوهُ في بَعْضِ سَفَراتِهِ ، فَإنْ قَدِمَ عَلَيْكُمْ ، وَ إلاّ قَدِمْتُمْ عَلَيْهِ

قاله عليه السلام عند تعزية قوم بميت

Condoling relatives of a deceased person, Ali bin Abi Talib said:

This matter did not start with you, and it does not end with you. Your companion was traveling, so consider him in one of his travels; he will either arrive to your place, or you will arrive to his place.

اِرْحَمْ مَنْ دُونَكَ يَرْحَمْكَ مَنْ فَوْقَكَ وَقِسْ سَهْوَهُ بِسَهْوِكَ وَ مَعْصِيَتَهُ لَكَ بِمَعْصِيَتِكَ لِرَبِّكَ وَ فَقْرَهُ اِلى رَحْمَتِكَ بِفَقْرِكَ اِلى رَحْــمَـةِ رَبِّكَ

Be merciful to those who are below you so that those above you can be merciful with you. Remember your inattention when you see theirs, and your disobedience towards your God when you see their disobedience to you, and your need for mercy from your God when you see their need for mercy from you.

إنَّ أخاكَ حقَّاً مَنْ غَفَرَ زلَّتَكَ، وَسَدَّ خَلَّتَكَ ،وَ قَبِلَ عُذْرَكَ، وسَتَرَ عَوْرتَكَ، وَ نَفى وَجَلَكَ، وَ حَقَّقَ أمَلَكَ

He’s truly your brother who will forgive your mistake, meet your need, accept your excuse, cover your imperfection, expel your fear, and fulfill your expectation.

image, font, quote.

Picture source | Quote source

ما رَفَعَ امْرَأً كَهِمَّتِهِ، وَ لاوَضَعَهُ كَشَهْوَتِهِ

Nothing raises a person like his endeavor, and nothing degrades him like self-indulgence.

ثَلاثَةٌ هُنَّ المُرُوءَةُ : جُودٌ مَعَ قِلَّة ، وَ احْتِمالٌ مِنْ غَيْرِ مَذَلَّة ، وَ تَعَفُّفٌ عَنِ المَسْألَةِ

Nobility is three traits: being generous although you have little to give, tolerating without being humiliated, and abstaining from asking for favors.

The closest match to the Arabic word (المُرُوءَةُ) in English is nobility and magnanimity. Although modern dictionaries translate it to chivalry, it is not accurate in my opinion.

The quote summarizes what it takes to be a noble person:

1. Generosity while having little to give. It is easy to give if you have a lot, but it is hard if you have little.
2. Tolerance which doesn’t compromise self-respect or dignity.
3. Staying away from asking others for favors (e.g. begging, borrowing money, etc…). This is mentioned in the Holy Quran in verse 273 Surat Al-Baqarah.

Ali bin Abi Talib has many quotes about this subject, you can refer to them here (Arabic version).